Local Resident Arrested, Charged with Murder and Animal Cruelty After Hitting Prominent Art Collector in Boston's Back Bay.
A 42-year-old man is facing severe charges after allegedly intentionally hit a renowned art collector and his dog to death while driving into the Commonwealth Mall in Boston's Back Bay early Saturday morning. The pedestrian, identified as John Axelrod, 79, was pronounced dead at the scene after being transported to a hospital.
Prosecutors allege that William Haney deliberately struck Axelrod, who was walking with his dog on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, before fleeing the area. Boston police responded quickly to the scene, where they found the vehicle unoccupied but later located it in Brookline and arrested Haney.
Axelrod was an influential figure in the art community, serving as an honorary advisor at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The museum recently honored his legacy by naming a gallery after him and showcasing nearly 70 works by Black artists that he had acquired for its collection.
Haney is expected to be arraigned on charges of murder and cruelty to animals, with Suffolk County District Attorney's office announcing the arrest Sunday.
A 42-year-old man is facing severe charges after allegedly intentionally hit a renowned art collector and his dog to death while driving into the Commonwealth Mall in Boston's Back Bay early Saturday morning. The pedestrian, identified as John Axelrod, 79, was pronounced dead at the scene after being transported to a hospital.
Prosecutors allege that William Haney deliberately struck Axelrod, who was walking with his dog on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, before fleeing the area. Boston police responded quickly to the scene, where they found the vehicle unoccupied but later located it in Brookline and arrested Haney.
Axelrod was an influential figure in the art community, serving as an honorary advisor at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The museum recently honored his legacy by naming a gallery after him and showcasing nearly 70 works by Black artists that he had acquired for its collection.
Haney is expected to be arraigned on charges of murder and cruelty to animals, with Suffolk County District Attorney's office announcing the arrest Sunday.
. the guy was like 79 years old and walking his dog, enjoying the morning... and then BAM! some psycho comes along and rams him into the car 
. it's just heartbreaking. i hope justice is served and this person gets the maximum sentence possible. the art community is already grieving the loss of john axelrod, now they have to deal with this senseless act of violence too 
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just heard about this guy getting charged for hitting an old man and his dog 
. 70 years young and he was taken from us too soon 
. The art community is really losing some amazing people lately 
anyway, I hope justice gets served quickly for John Axelrod's family 
i mean seriously who hits someone and then just flees the scene it's not like it was an accident or something you can't just hurt someone that badly and then run away from it you gotta face the consequences 
and the worst part is that haney's gonna get away with this or at least face minimal charges which is just not right 
... like what's even more messed up is that he was supposed to be a respected member of the community, had all these connections in the art world... now it's just a senseless tragedy 
! I mean, hitting an 79 yr old guy and his dog to death? That's just brutal 
. And the fact that he was driving into the mall, it's like he wanted to cause as much chaos as possible 
. And the museum naming a gallery after him is like, super nice of them to keep his legacy alive 
. But Haney just can't seem to get it together, what was going through that head of his? 
... can't believe someone would do such a horrific thing to an innocent person & their furry friend 
. I mean, I know it's not right to drive into someone or animal on purpose, but still, it's like, basic human decency, you know? 
. The fact that this guy was driving around Boston's Back Bay, where all these people walk and live their lives... and then does something like this? It's just so thoughtless 
. The weather was incredible, not a cloud in the sky! I went for a long hike at Provincetown and saw some of the most beautiful wildflowers I've ever seen. Reminded me of that time I visited Japan and walked through cherry blossom gardens 
. Anyway, back to this news... it's just shocking how quickly things escalated from hitting someone to murder and animal cruelty charges 
... Did you see those stats on road rage incidents in Boston? They've been rising steadily since 2020, especially among male drivers 
. According to data from the BPD, there were 237 reported cases of road rage in Boston last year alone 
Suffolk County has a decent record on this, though - they've had a 75% conviction rate for animal cruelty cases since 2018 
... The Boston PD responded in under 30 minutes, and they were able to track down the vehicle using a surveillance camera. Maybe we should get more cameras installed on roads like that? 
Anyway, I'm all for justice being served 
, but you can't help but wonder what led Haney down this dark path...
i hope he gets what's coming to him but at the same time, we gotta make sure our justice system is doing its job 
it reminded me of how some people need to take a break from driving for like an hour just to enjoy the view lol! anyway, back to this art collector guy... 70 works by black artists? that's amazing! i'm no art expert but even i can appreciate good taste 
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. art collector john axelrod sounds like such an important figure, loved by the community and all... i can only imagine how his family is feeling right now 